Unconditional Love
by MalevolentTorment
Summary: Nero. A dog who has been through the worst. Bullied, shy, and exiled, he is almost to the point of giving up all together. Until he meets Balto and the sled team. They help him realize the problems with his life, but can they piece it back together. Collaboration with Kodiwolf321.
1. Meeting a Hero

**Okay, let's get this thing rolling'. It's MalevolentTorment (MT if you don't want to spell the whole thing out) and Kodiwolf321 here and I just wanted to give you some information about this fic. Kodi thought this would be a great way for us to finally do a collab so I gladly agreed and this story was born. I also wanted to just to get into a little bit of the background for this fic: Iwrote this as a challenge to myself and for a friend. I have never really written anything like this so I hope you will like it. Pretty much this is going to be a hurt/comfort, which I have never done. Some of you may argue about A New Beginning and how that has hurt in it, but this is on a completely different level. Of course there will be action; it wouldn't be our story if it didn't. :P**

**Another thing is the characters. I normally write a main character with a cocky, arrogant attitude (refer to Cole and Michael) because I can be that way sometimes and it adds humor to the story. But this time, as you will see, I am shying away from that with this main. He doesn't have the witty comebacks, no dirty jokes, or genuine arrogance that I love to use.**

**The last thing, I know, I'm boring you. But this is a big one if you want to read this fic: my main character is bi. This is the 'for the friend' part that I mentioned earlier. Now, I hope that you can get past that and read this fic anyways because even though he isn't straight as a lamp post (and I have seen some lampposts that can be very bendable, especially in hurricanes…that was a joke, btw), he isn't completely gay. I'm not saying I don't like gay people, I'm saying I have never written a gay character so the whole bi thing is the making up for never writing that. So anyways, that's the reason I made him bi. Partly because one, it gives an interesting turn to the story with the whole he likes a guy and a girl. Plus, I can finally show how bullying can affect a person because I used to be a bully, and I know how it affected someone when I would be called up to the office and see some kid crying his eyes out. See, there's something you didn't know about me, but I don't do it anymore, trust you me. **

**I think this is a good time to say: ****_DON'T LIKE, DON'T READ!_**** Can't stress that enough, I hate trolls, flamers, any of the sort. And don't be hatin' on other people, this is a website not High School.**

**Wow, long intro…I think I should shut up and let you guys enjoy this story. I bid you all adieu. **

**Chapter 1: Meeting a Hero**

A grey Siberian husky looked out from the back of the moving green truck. The mountains loomed ominously in the background as the mist covered the peaks. The trees seemed lifeless and dead with their leaves gone and branches that were pushed to breaking point by pound after pound of snow. The sky was almost a fairytale blue with no clouds in sight, save for the mountains. A yellow circle illuminated the vast Alaskan landscape with its splendor and warmth, trying to bring the trees back to life. Some birds could be seen from a distance, flying in a tight 'V' formation near what looked like water.

_Water… _the husky thought.

"Hey, Jack! We're getting close!" he shouted.

An orange Akita brought his head up form a deep slumber. He yawned loudly and looked at the husky. "Really? And I was so enjoying this-" He was cut short by a bump in the road which sent both the husky and the Akita in the air. They fell to the ground with a loud bang and got up wearily. "This lovely ride," Jack finished.

The husky laughed and looked at his lifelong friend, "Never was one for manual labor, huh?"

"You know it. I don't need to do any hard work, the ladies love this bod no matter what it's up too," Jack finished as he laid down for another nap.

"Even if it's raiding a meat warehouse?" the husky joked.

"Hey, that wasn't me. If you remember it was your stupid b-" He stopped himself short as he saw the expression from the huskies face go from genuine happiness to genuine hurt. "Oh, crap, dude. I'm sorry…I didn't mean-"

"No, it's fine. Really it is," the grey dog said as he turned to look out the truck again. "Just don't fall asleep too long, it seems like we're almost there."

"Mhmm," Jack sighed as he drifted off into sleep.

**{{_}}**

"Meat! Meat! Get nice fresh meat here!" some man yelled.

The grey husky popped his head up and looked out the truck's flapping back. They were pulling into a town. There were two story houses on both sides of the main street, or maybe the only street. People and dogs alike were moving out of the way for the heavy vehicle which was moving at a slow rate due to the magnitude of people. It looked like a flea market or farmers market was going on, with stands dotting the street. Each stand had a different thing to offer. From vegetables, to clothes, and just about everything else.

The husky got up on all fours and rushed over to Jack. He tapped Jack's shoulder who just turned over on his side and shrugged him off. "Jack, c'mon wake up! We're in town!"

"So…" Sam sighed.

"What do you mean so…this is the new place we were looking for!" the husky exclaimed but his energy died down when he saw his friend start to snore. "And…they have meat, nice fresh meat."

Jack sat up and looked at the husky, "What'd you say?"

"Meat. Big an juicy-"

"Well, why didn't you start off with that?! You have to start prioritizing what order you say things," Jack said as he got up and looked out the truck with the husky. "Where's the meat?"

"I don't know, I just heard someone say it," the grey dog replied.

"Well, then let's go investigate this town," Jack said as he jumped out of the moving truck.

"Jack! What are you thinking?!" the husky yelled.

"C'mon, man! Just jump!" Jack yelled.

"Easy for you to say…" the husky sighed. The grey husky reared back then jumped out of the truck, tumbling to a stop. Jack walked over and looked down at him. "Don't do that again," he said as he got up.

"Hey, bro, look! They have a sled team!" Jack pointed to some dogs standing with harnesses and ropes strapped to their back. An Eskimo came out of the nearby postal office with a bag full of mail. He carried it over to the awaiting dogs and plopped it onto the sled. The man walked onto the sled and grabbed the reins that were attached to the dogs. He yelled something at them and they were off into the Alaskan wilderness.

"Didn't you want to be a sled dog?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, but I don't think I'm good enough," the husky replied as he started to walk away from Jack.

"What are you talking about? You are one of the fastest dogs I know! You should definitely try out at the very least. And if they don't want you, then it wasn't meant to be," Jack said following the husky. "Plus, if they don't take you, you won't be some glory hound douche bag."

"Thanks, Jack, you always know how to cheer me up," the husky joked.

Jack lightly punched the husky in the arm, "You know it."

Someone cleared their throat near the two walking dogs as a shadowy figure came out of an alley. It was a brown dog, no, wolf-dog. He seemed to be a late adult, maybe five or six. He stood up tall and proud as he studied the two. The husky realized him immediately.

"Balto…" the husky whispered.

"Who?" Jack asked.

The husky turned to his friend, "Balto. The dog who saved all of Nome from diphtheria. It was all over the papers, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Wow, man, you are really something! The way you went out and saved a whole sled team from the blizzard and the kids from disease! You're legend!" Jack exclaimed.

Balto laughed merrily at the compliment, "Thank you…um…"

"Jack."

"Jack. And you, I heard you wanted to go out for the sled team but you think you are too worthless?" he asked.

"Um…kinda," the husky said as he started to rub the back of his neck.

"You shouldn't think like that. That's how I thought about everything, but look at me now. I saved a whole town and I didn't even think I could make a sled team. You'll do great," Balto said. "Hey, maybe a little bit later you can show me what you got."

"Um, I don't know-"

"Of course he will!" Jack interrupted. "He would be happy to!"

The husky looked at him with wide eyes, "I would be?"

"Yes you would," Jack said nudging him.

"Uhhhh, yeah I would."

"Great, see you around 8'ish?" Balto asked.

"Sounds good," the husky said.

"Alright, see you then. Oh, and before I go: you know my name, but what's yours?" Balto asked offering his paw.

"Nero," the husky replied shaking Balto's hand.

*****So, what'd you think? And I'm going to say this now: Nero doesn't have a crush on Balto, that's just weird. Balto is like four years older than him (don't know his exact age), so no. I know this chapter is short but I just wanted to give you guys a little sample of it and see if I should even continue writing this.**

**Your opinions are valued so I hope you will like it so I can get this story off my chest. F,F, and R. Till, next time, I hope you all have a great week! And for those of you still in school, have a great Spring Break!**


	2. Here Kitty, Kitty

**Chapter 2: Here Kitty, Kitty**

Nero turned to Jack with a hateful glare. He punched his friend in the arm as he stamped his foot, "What the hell was that?!" he snapped.

Jack rubbed the spot Nero made contact with, "What? You mean helping you to get on the team?"

"What do you mean?" Nero asked as his tone softened.

"You're going to tell me you don't know?"

"Don't know what?!" Nero exclaimed.

"Balto's son is one of the lead dogs on a sled team. Apparently here," Jack said.

"I didn't know Balto had kids," Nero said.

"Wow."

"Now what Jack?" Nero asked as a he started to wander towards the center of the street.

"No, it's just...for someone who idolizes Balto so much, I would have thought you knew."

Nero let out a quick puff of air, "Can we just find your meat?"

"And here I thought you'd never ask," Jack joked as he took lead.

**{{_}}**

Nero and Jack continued to run around town looking for the meat. They had cut across the alleys all day but still could not find the meat vendor. Finally they came out onto the street and found the humans picking up their tables and chairs as they packed up the stands.

The two walked, hugging the buildings to the right of them. Nero broke the silence, "Jack."

"Yeah?"

"Why did you tell Balto I was going to go to the beach with him?" Nero asked.

Jack sighed, "Are you still on this?" He looked back and saw Nero's ears pressed flat against his head as he watched the ground. "Why not dude. It's your dream to become a sled dog, right?"

Jack stopped as he turned around to face his friend. Nero walked into Jack's chest and looked up. He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, but you didn't need to speak for me."

A wide grin spread across Jack face as his tone lightened, "Well, good thing I did. Otherwise you would have said no."

Nero walked around Jack as he searched the almost empty street. "Where's that meat? We're going to be late for Balto."

"Now doesn't someone seem excited?" Jack asked rhetorically.

"Shut up," Nero smiled.

Jack laughed as he walked up to Nero's side. "I can almost taste the meat! I can almost smell it. I can smell it."

"You're insane. Is that all you think about?" Nero asked.

"Don't you smell it? We're close," Jack said as he sniffed the air.

"Close to what? The meat?"

"No, the ice cream store. Of course the meat!" Jack exclaimed as he stopped in front of a small shop. "Meat..." He whispered as his mouth filled with saliva.

Nero joined Jack at the front steps to the store, "Huh. Maybe you should go out for Search and Rescue."

"I only 'search' for what I'm interested in," Jack said as he climbed up onto the porch.

"C'mon Jack, there's no way we could even get in," Nero said as he started walking away. "We're going to be late."

"Will you take that stick out of your ass? We're going to be right on time. I have ways of getting what I want," he said as he walked to the back of the store.

Nero hugged the ground as he walked into the alley. "Jack. Damnit Jack, we just moved here and you already want to start something?"

"Look, I have a good idea," Jack said as he climbed up onto a box under an open window.

"Oh, no you don't. Jack c'mon, what if we're caught-"

"Cool it will ya?" Jack looked back as he planted his front paws on the window. "Sometimes I wonder how we're still friends."

"Because I'm the smart one and you're the brute strength."

Jack let out a small laugh as he jumped into the store. Nero heard some shifting and then what sounded like a door being opened. Nero jumped up onto the boxes and peered into the room.

It was pitch black except for a sliver of light coming from an open door. Mist seemed to being pouring onto the floor. "Jack? Hey, Jack where are you?" the gray husky asked as he jumped down into the small room.

"Nero come here," Jack said from the open door. Nero walked into the light and saw Jack sitting on the ground with meat sauce covering his body. "You hungry?" Jack asked as Nero rolled his eyes.

He looked up and found big hunks of what looked like chicken and some big mammal. They were being held up by metal hooks that were attached to the ceiling. Towards the back of the locker there was a small table with a butchers knife stuck into the wood.

"C'mon, we better get out of here before someone sees us," Nero said as he walked out of the meat locker.

"Like me," a smooth female voice sounded from the window. Jack peered around the side of the door and saw a black cat sitting on the window sill with a smile plastered to her face.

"Cat!" Jack snarled as he and Nero started to show their teeth to the feline.

"Wow. That is so scary," she laughed.

"Get out of here or I'll rip you apart," Jack growled.

The cat smiled, "Sure you will, big fella." The cat picked up a can that she found on her way there. "I wonder how big and strong you two are after…oh, I don't know. Someone would make a little noise?"

She tapped the can into the room as she got up and stood on all fours. "Nero, grab it!" Jack shouted. Nero lunged for the can but was too late. The can had already hit the ground before he ran into the wall. A clinking sound rang throughout the meat locker as Jack and Nero's ears flattened against their heads.

"What the hell was that?" said a man from the front of the shop.

"Shit," Jack said as he looked at the cat. "You're so going to get it, pussy."

The cat laughed, "You can try. I do love a challenge. The name's Kitty, by the way. I'm famous for burglary in this town and don't need some rookies screwing it up for me. See you boys later!" She jumped off the window, with a piece of meat in her paws.

"How the hell did she get meat?" jack asked.

"Probably when the can fell and the guy distracted us-"

The door to the main part of the shop flew open as the butcher came in wielding a long, pointed knife. "What the hell are you guys doing in my meat locker?!" he yelled.

"Run!" Nero said as he lunged through the open window. Jack followed as the man slashed the air with his knife screaming.

"And stay out you thieving mutts!"

Nero and Jack stopped outside the shop in the vacant street, panting. "That was fun," Jack said as his tongue lolled out of his mouth.

Nero laughed, "At least you got your meat. Now can we please get to the beach?"

"Sure. But…can we walk? I mean I know you can go for long distances. But, man, if you haven't noticed: I'm not the fittest dog in town."

"No?! I had no idea!" Nero said.

Jack punched him in the arm as they started to walk towards the beach.

A black cat was sitting on top of the post office's roof as she watched the two huskies. A smile flew onto her face, "I like them. They at least make my work fun." She bit into the hunk of meat as some of the blood dripped onto her fur.

**{{_}}**

Nero and Jack finally made it to the beach and were greeted by a boat that had been washed up onto the rocks. It seemed to have been sitting there for decades, but it had a clean feeling to it. As if someone would come here and clean the huge piece of metal.

Jack stopped and turned to face Nero, "Okay, Nero, I have to say: I may be getting old but you are young and need to be on this sled team."

Nero smiled, "I know, I know, but-"

"No,' but's. Just promise me you will give it all you got with Balto. Show him what you are made of," Jack said as he placed his paw on his friend shoulder.

Nero smiled, "Thank you."

"That's what brothers are for," Jack said. "Now where is Balto?"

"I don't know. He said he would be here at eight," Nero said.

"Ah, you must be here for Balto! Nero, is it?" someone called to them in a heavy accent. The two looked around but all they saw was a great expanse of white snow. "Up here!" Nero and Jack looked up to find a goose looking down at them shaking his wing. "Please come up!"

"Should we?" Nero asked.

"Yeah, I mean, he's goose and we are two dogs. What's the worst he could do?" Jack said as he found a platform leading up to the deck.

Nero followed him up as the goose cam walking up to them with a wing outstretched. "Hello. I am Borris. Balto's father and the guy who cleans up after him." Jack started to laugh as Boris and Nero stared at him. "Is something the matter?" Boris asked.

"I'm sorry, it's just…Balto's a dog and you're a bird. There is no way you are his father," Jack said.

"Jack," Nero reprimanded.

"No, it's fine. I get that a lot. When Balto was young I took him in and raised him as my own, he's lived with me ever since. And if you don't believe me, you can ask him when he gets here. He had some business to attend to, he shouldn't be long," Boris said as he grabbed a mop. "So you're Jack and you are?"

"Nero."

"Hmm, a strong name. Balto said you wanted to be on the sled team here in town," Boris said as he started to clean the deck.

"Yeah, um…I'm trying. I don't know if I'll make it, though," Nero sighed.

"Oh will you cool it?! You're going to do fine!" Jack exclaimed.

"What?" Boris asked as he put the mop down.

"Nero is worried that he isn't worth the fur on his back. He thinks he won't make it on the team even though he totally can. He just has to chill out and just go for it," Jack said.

"Would you stop speaking for me?!" Nero shouted.

"Are you telling me what I said isn't true?" Jack asked. Nero went silent as he stared into the distant ocean. "As I said-"

"Hey, you guys sorry I'm late," Balto said as he walked onto the platform.

"That's alright, we were just talking about the sled team actually. Nero doesn't think-"

"Would you just shut up, alright?!" Nero interrupted Jack.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, just calm down you two," a female voice said. Nero and Jack both stopped glaring at each other and saw a young gray Siberian husky walk up to Balto's side. Her eyes were a gorgeous sapphire that glistened off the sun like a glacier. Immediately Nero settled down and watched the huskies movements as if she were a dancer in a ballet.

Balto laughed and turned to her, "Thanks for that, Dusty."

"No problem. Happy to help you anytime. Now which one of you is Nero?" Dusty asked.

Nero shook his head out of the trance and sat up tall, "Me. I…um Nero."

"Glad to meet you. We need more gray huskies around here," she smiled as she walked up to him and started to study his body. "You at least look like you could be a good runner. Care to show me I'm right?"

"Uh…yeah. Yeah that sounds good."

She smiled and walked back to Balto, "I'll be waiting for you on the beach when you're ready. But don't take too long."

She left the three dogs and a goose to watch her walk away. "Who…was that?" Nero asked out loud.

Balto smiled, "That's Dusty. She's on the sled team, behind my son. But enough talk, let's do some running okay?"

"Okay," Nero said as he followed Balto to the platform. He stopped as something gripped his shoulder. Nero turned and saw Jack with a sympathetic smile on his face. All he did was nod, but Nero understood. He nodded back and then followed Balto.

He and Dusty were waiting for him down by the water. As he approached, Dusty got up and approached him. "Alright, here's how we are going to do it: You are going to race me. Simple, no?"

"Uh, okay," Nero said as he followed her to where Balto was standing.

"So just stand next to me and get ready. Balto will tell us when to start. We'll stop at that post sticking out of the snow. Ready?" Dusty asked as she stood parallel to Balto.

"Yeah," Nero said as he walked up next to Dusty.

Jack and Boris joined the dogs by taking a seat next to the town's hero. "C'mon Nero! Kick her ass!" Jack yelled.

Nero smiled as Balto raised his voice, "Alright. Ready. Set. GO!"

The two gray huskies exploded as snow was being kicked up behind them. For a girl, Dusty was fast. She passed Nero almost immediately after they started. Snow was being thrown into Nero's line of sight; he couldn't see where he was going. He pushed left out of the blizzard that Dusty kicked up. Nero saw that her tail was could have touched his chin if he were behind her.

But for all her speed, Nero was faster. _I'm not going to lose today. Not today and not ever. Remember what Jack said. 'Just promise me you will give it all you got with Balto. Show him what you are made of'. _

"What I'm made of," Nero whispered. He brought his head up and a gleam shown in his eye. "Not today!"

He pushed himself forward with his back legs and bound up to Dusty. He ran up to her hind legs as a smile crept onto his face. For one of the first tines in his life, he felt competition surging through his veins. His tongue hung out of his mouth as his smile only seemed to grow.

Finally he made it to her side, they were now parallel to each other. She looked at Nero and saw the big grin on his face. _Hmm, guess there is another side to this dog. But I can't let him beat me._

Dusty threw her arms and legs forward with as much force she could muster.

"Not in a second," Nero said.

He followed Dusty's movements and threw his own body into over drive. The post was coming closer and closer to the racing dogs. Nero pushed up ahead and now was at least a head apart from Dusty. He pushed even harder and before he knew it, the post was only inches away.

He stopped as he passed the finish line with Dusty coming in after. He sat down in the snow drool falling out of his mouth like a rain storm. His chest rose and fell in rapid succession. Dusty seemed to be having trouble breathing as well as she came up to him with a half-smile.

"Dang, Nero, you're fast…I…I didn't think you had it in you. I thought you were some…some push over. But I see that I was wrong," Dusty said as she placed her paw on his shoulder. "I think you will make a great member of the team."

Nero blushed and looked away, "Thank you, Dusty."

"And hey, you want to join the team and I at the Old Mill?" she asked. "Balto'll be there too."

"The Old Mill?" Nero asked.

"Oh, I forgot you're new here. It's a mill just outside of town. All the dogs like to hang out there, you should definitely come. Bring Jack too, it'll be great!"

"Um, yeah. I think he- we would both like-"

"Oh, crap, dude that was amazing!" Jack exclaimed as he bound up to the two. "Nero you really did a number on her! Ahem, sorry, Dusty."

She laughed, "No worries, Jack. He deserves it. You really did do great!"

"Thank you both," Nero said.

"Their right, Nero, that was something. You are definitely sled dog material," Balto said as he walked up to him. "I can't wait for you to meet my son, he will definitely let you on the team."

"Oh, uh, thanks," Nero said.

"But, if you don't excuse me, I have to go see my mate. Oh, you know what, you should join us at the Old-"

"Already invited them," Dusty said.

"Always thinking ahead," Balto joked.

Dusty giggled, "You know it. And hey, can I join you? I have to get to my owners house and that's on the way to Jenna's."

"Sure, I would enjoy the company anyways. With all the kids away and all," Balto said as he started to walk away.

Dusty walked after him but not before turning to Nero, "See you at the mill, Nero."

"Yeah, see ya," Nero said as he watched her walk away. He tilted his head and smiled as his heart started to beat faster.

He heard Jack chuckling next to him and looked at his friend. Jack seemed to be holding in something. "What?" Jack exploded with laughter and fell back onto his butt. "What?!"

"You so have a crush on her. You can't even hide it well!" he let out another round of laughter.

"I do not, Jack," Nero said. He watched his friend start to dial down his laughter but obviously wasn't going to let it go. "Can we just get ready for tonight?"

"Aww, wanna comb your fur and brush your canines?" Jack joked. Nero sighed as he walked off. "Oh, c'mon Nero! I was just joking!"

**Hope you liked this chapter, and I just wanted to say thanks Kodi! I appreciate all the work you are doing! :)**


	3. Old Mill

**Chapter 3: Old Mill**

The sun was setting on the great ocean outside the town, casting brilliant reds, oranges, and purples upon the land. Clouds hung in the air covering some of the colored streaks. The birds were flying back to their nests, communicating with each other with soft chirps. The shadows of two dogs moved with their swaying steps.

"Would you calm down? You're going to be fine," Jack said as he sauntered in front of Nero.

"But what if she asks me back to her place?" Nero asked.

"Don't worry. _That _won't happen."

"Oh, ha, ha, very funny," Nero sighed. "But what if something happens? What if I screw it up?"

"You won't do any of those things. Trust me; you're going to be fine."

They rounded the corner and came upon the huge double doors of the Mill. The building was an enormous wooden building with a conveyor belt coming out the right side. Loud talking could be heard coming from the inside, causing Nero's tail to drop. Jack looked to the sighed before punching his friend on the shoulder.

"C'mon, don't be like that. You'll be fine."

"I don't know…maybe we should just head back-"

"Hey, look who we have here," a low, almost scratchy voice came from behind them. Both dogs turned to find a massive bulk of a black Malamute smiling at them. A slightly smaller golden husky stood next to the malamute, with an equally evil smile on his face. "New meat."

"Who are you?" Jack asked.

"Me? I'm the alpha dog in this town. The name's Steele. This is Kaltag," the malamute replied. He circled the corgi mix and sopped next to Nero and put his face right next to the huskies. "And what's your name?"

Nero looked at the malamute up and down. His body was so compact, with muscles rippling under his long, sleek fur. He had a wide brown collar with golden metal studs running down the leather. Steele's eyes were bright blue sapphires that glistened in the setting suns glare. His chest puffed out which looked perfect against his rock hard stomach. But Nero's eyes stopped on the malamute's package. The only thing he could think of was of how big it was.

Steele looked to where Nero was staring and the malamute came back with a malicious smile. "Hmm. Seems like we have a faggot on our hands."

"Yeah, he seems to really like you junk," Kaltag snickered.

"Hey, back off him, alright," Jack said stepping closer to Steele.

"Oh, who's this? Your boyfriend?" Steele asked.

"No," Nero said barely audibly as his ears folded back.

"I can't hear you, faggot," Steele smiled. He swatted at Nero's legs sending him crashing into the snow. The husky lay on his back, stunned, when he felt a weight on top of him. He peered up and Steele had positioned himself over the husky. He looked back at Jack who was being pushed back by Kaltag. For a husky, he was surprisingly strong.

He tried to push Steele off of him, but the malamute wouldn't budge. He just smiled and pushed closer, his sac only inches from Nero's. "You like this don't you, faggot?" Steele closed his eyes as he spoke. His breath crept up to meet Nero's awaiting nose. The towering malamute just smelled so good.

Nero only managed to close his eyes and mumble. He could feel his stomach churn with delight as his face grew hot. He tried to flex his stomach to try to stop the blood from flowing down. He felt himself slipping, when a soft voice crawled into his ear.

"Get off of him, Steele."

They all turned to see a rusty red coated husky with rich brown eyes glaring at the malamute. The husky tail was up and Nero could see him trying to keep his teeth hidden.

"If it isn't the mutt's mutt," Steele laughed as he stepped off of Nero. He swaggered over to the husky and stood at least five inches taller. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Well, I won't abandon people in the middle of a snowstorm if that's what you mean," Kodi replied, smugly.

Steele frowned and bared his teeth. He opened his mouth but closed it shut. He turned to the double doors and called to Kaltag to follow. The husky followed Steele into the Mill, leaving Kodi, Jack and Nero outside.

The sun had set even more, but the sky was still a brilliant mirage of colors. Nero thought it went well with Kodi's fur. Even though the husky wasn't as big as Steele, he still looked hot. Kodi was smaller, but his muscles were still prominent.

Kodi cocked his head and looked himself up and down. "Do I have something on me?"

Nero realized he had been staring, "Um…yeah. Let me get it." He brought his paw up to Kodi's neck and lightly brushed the soft white fur. He shivered at just the slightest touch from this dog. "Got it." He stood back and tried to keep his tail up, but it just seemed to want to stay down.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over that. Steele's a huge dick. He's just mad that my dad saved the town instead of him," Kodi said placing a paw on Nero's shoulder. Again, the husky gave the slightest shudder at the touch.

"Wait…you're Balto's son?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. Oh, that reminds me, I have to go. Maybe I'll see you around…um…" he trailed off waiting for them to give their names.

"Jack."

"Nero."

Kodi smiled. "See you around." The husky walked past the two and opened the doors. Nero turned to watch the husky's swishing tail bob from side to side. When the door shut, he heard small laughter.

Nero turned to find Jack smiling at him. "Shut up."

"Dude what the hell was that?!" he exclaimed. "You were practically staring at that guy's dick. And when he jumped on top of you, you freakin acted like you wanted him to mount you right then and there! Then Kodi comes to the rescue. You looked like you wanted to make out with him for just stroking his neck. Yeah, I saw there was nothing on him."

"Look, just shut up," Nero said turning for the door.

"Hey, if you go gay, can I have Dusty?" Jack asked. Nero couldn't help but start laughing. "What?"

"I don't think you're her style," he said.

"What? Charming, handsome, funny-"

"Annoying, loud, obnoxious," Nero finished.

"Ass," the corgi mix lightly punched the husky.

**{{_}}**

Kodi walked into the Mill and was instantly surrounded by the variety of sounds and smells of all the dogs and cats of Nome congregating in one place. To him, this was his life. Running the mail, being with his family, and coming here. Even though it was the same routine day in and day out, it seemed boring to most, but exciting to the young husky.

But, that husky outside seemed a little…off. If it was just Kodi, but Nero almost looked like he was turned on by Steele jumping on top of him. And when he came over, Nero practically stared at him before he had to say something to stop him. He knew he had no dirt on him, he checked before he came. Maybe he was gay.

Kodi shrugged it off when he saw one of team mates lumbering towards him. "What's up Kodi?" Kirby smiled.

The corgi mix gave a little punch and placed and arm around Kodi. "Hey, Kirby. How those steaks treating you?"

"Oh, ow, hit me where it hurts. At least I'm not as big as Ralph.

"Yeah, he needs to lose some weight. We're dragging about a hundred pounds of lard."

Kirby laughed. "And let's not forget his 'delicate nails'. I swear the guy is gay."

"Oh, man, that just reminded me. I think there was this gay guy outside. He was staring at me and when I asked him if I had something on me, he said yes."

"Well, did you have something on you?" Kirby asked.

"No. I checked. He was definitely checking me out."

"Maybe you should tap him."

"Kirby!"

"What?" Kirby asked defensively. "You're a virgin. Might as well get some action before you die. And on the bright side: you can't get him pregnant!"

"Ha, ha," he scoffed as they came up onto his family and the rest of the team. Dingo was his only sibling that still lived in town with him. The rest were scattered throughout Alaska and even one in Canada. His mother was still had her ruby red fur that looked as bright as the sun against his father's brown coat. Dusty and Ralph were both talking to each other about one of the runs were Ralph slipped and tripped the whole team. Kodi walked up and greeted everyone with a smile.

"Hi, Kodi!" his mother nuzzled him. "How are you?"

"I'm good," he said returning the nuzzle.

"Something bothering you."

"I haven't even said anything except for hello!" Kodi said.

"What is it?" Balto asked. Now everyone around him stopped their little conversations and walked over.

"Nothing. It's just…some guy was checking me out," Kodi sighed.

"I knew it. I knew he was gay," Dusty smiled.

"Yeah, ha, ha. All I did was save the guy from Steele and he returns the favor by staring at me."

"Who was this?" Balto asked.

"Some grey husky. Nero."

Balto and Dusty's ears went up. "Nero?" Oh, my God, is he okay? Did Steele hurt him?" Dusty asked.

"Um…he's fine. Look, there he is now," Kodi pointed to a grey husky talking to a corgi.

"Nero!" Dusty exclaimed. The husky's ears perked and he looked towards the screaming dog. "Nero, come here!"

Nero said something to Jack who looked in the direction of Dusty. He said something to Nero to make his ears fold down and Kodi to make out the words 'Shut up.' Nero walked over but stumbled back when Dusty embraced him.

"Kodi told me what happened! Are you okay? Did Steele hurt you?" she asked. She opened her eyes and back away from him, smiling nervously. She pressed her fur down and rubbed the back of her head.

Nero gave a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Uh, thanks Kodi."

"Oh, no problem. Hope Steele didn't hurt you," Kodi said.

"Just his pride," Jack mumbled.

"Shut up, will ya?" Nero asked. He stopped and then pointed his nose in the air. He took in three big whiffs before he turned back to Jack. "Do you smell that?

Jack sniffed the air, too. "That smells like…son of a bitch."

"What?" Balto asked.

"This bitch almost got us killed by the butcher. And we didn't even get any meat," Jack sighed.

"Wait. You guys were trying to steal from the butcher?" Balto questioned.

Jack smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I wouldn't call it stealing as much as…um…theft."

"Jack, that sounds worse," Nero said.

"I think vandalism sounds worse than theft," a soft female voice said from behind Nero. He turned to find a small black cat making her way towards them. Her stance was confident and arrogant as she stepped up to face Nero. "Mmm, I remember you. Such a nice frame for such a nice husky. Nero, was it?"

Nero growled in response as Kitty circled around to now be in the center of the dogs. Nero turned and Kitty swung her tail in Nero's nose, causing him to sneeze. "My, my, so eager to see me again."

"What do you want, cat?" Jack snarled.

"I wasn't talking to you, meat shack."

"What did you just call me?" Jack growled.

"As I was saying," she ignored Jack and turned her attention back to Nero. "I noticed you got into a bit of a…hot mess, out there, no? Though, you didn't seem to mind all that much."

Nero growled low so only the dogs around him, and Kitty, could hear, "What are you doing here?"

The cat raised an eyebrow. "My, my, touchy, touchy. This is a public place where I come to unwind. So, Nero, do you bend bid dicked dogs that jump on top of you?"

"Shut up!" Nero jumped forward but Kitty had already stepped to the side. Nero bit air and swiveled around to face the cat again.

She laughed. "Well, I guess _some _part of what I said was true." Nero lunged again, but Kitty gracefully jumped over him and onto his back. "It's a real shame, though. You and Dusty look good together. And I wouldn't really mind if you could take me," she stuck one claw into Nero's back. "For a ride."

The husky yelped. "Jack, get her off!"

Jack jumped at the cat. She simply dropped off Nero's back and scampered up a barrel. She watched with humor as Jack plummeted into Nero sending them both to the ground.

"Well, it's been fun." The dogs turned their attention to her. "But, I should be off. Have fun, Nero! I hope you choose between your three crushes." She laughed as she jumped down from the barrel and disappeared into the crowd.

Nero shoved Jack off of him and stretched his shoulders. "Bitch."

"Yeah, you said it. Hey, um," he brought his muzzle close to Nero's ear. "She kind of just outed you to the whole sled team."

Nero's eyes widened and he turned to the sled dogs. They were all staring at him, except for Dusty who just looked sad. "Is it true?" she asked.

"What is?"

"About you. Liking…guys?"

Nero sighed. "Yeah…" he saw the look on her muzzle. "But I like girls too."

That got a brighter smile from her. "Really? That's great! I mean…that's nice." Nero couldn't help but smile at Dusty's attempt to hide her enthusiastic attitude of him still liking girls. She returned the smile. "Hey, um, you want to go get some water?"

"Um…sure!" Nero smiled as he walked besides Dusty towards the water vendor handing out bowls.

Kodi looked hatefully towards the two. Now he had to deal with a bisexual dog taking Dusty away from him? _Just great. What's so interesting about him anyways? He did look okay, for a guy. His stomach was maybe a little harder than Kodi's and his tail looked more plump. His eyes were blue like the ocean's water…shit, Kodi, don't think like that. He's a…he! You like women. Women. There is a 'men' in 'women'. Damnit, just start talking._

"So…what's his story?" he asked his father. If anyone were to know about a new dog, it would be him.

"He wants to go out for the sled team. He is pretty fast, maybe as fast as you are."

"What? No he can't be."

"'Fraid so. And Kodi. Just because he is bi, I don't want you to treat him any differently," his father said.

_I'd only treat him different if he took Dusty away from me. Or if he came onto me. _But the last part of his thoughts. He kind of wished that happened. Kodi looked at the husky again.

He was trying to balance the bowl in his mouth as Dusty looked like she was trying to give him tips. She tightened her jaw and pointed to Nero's muzzle. He tightened his mouth and the water spilled over his head. The bowl crashed to the ground as Nero shook himself off. It brought a smile to Kodi's muzzle. Dusty laughed as she picked up her own bowl. Nero then smiled and used his muzzle to hit her bowl so that it splattered onto her.

They both laughed but paused as their faces were only inches apart. Nero was the first to back away. He looked…timid. He did seem on the shy side. Maybe he was okay.

**(A/N): Sorry it took so long. I was busy with other romances and stuff like that so I've been a little preoccupied. But, I hope you like it. A little love square between Nero, Dusty, Kodi, and Steele going on, hope Nero makes the right choice :).**


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